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Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Heavy Artillery battalion moved to LoC as Pak shells Poonch posts again

Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire for the fourth time in the
last five days and pounded Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC)
with mortar shells in Poonch district, promoting the Army to move an
artillery battalion to forward posts in Krishna Ghati (KG) sector.Reliable sources told The Tribune that an artillery battalion has
been moved from Mendhar to effectively check possible infiltration
attempts by militants from across the border besides dealing with
frequent “misadventures of a hostile neighbour.”The fresh violation, 16th this year, resulted in injuries to Sepoy Kundan Singh of 3 Grenadiers.“Last night, around 10.15 pm, Pakistani troops opened heavy fire on
our posts in KG sector using mortars and automatic weapons. Initially,
the intensity was low but from 11.15 onwards, they started firing
mortars, forcing us to give them an effective response,” said an Army
spokesperson. The exchange of fire continued till 12.30 am.At least 12 Indian posts were targeted by 653 Mujahid Regiment of the
Pak Rangers, who used rocket launchers, heavy machine gun and UBGL
grenades, said official sources. “Pak Rangers opened fire from Daku,
Battal, Roza and Pimple posts opposite KG sector,” they added. The
Pakistani troops have so far violated the truce four times since June 13
resulting in killing of two soldiers Lance Naik Harvinder Singh and BSF
jawan PK Mishra. Three soldiers have been injured.“In the last five days, Pakistani troops have been continuously
targeted our forward posts. Therefore, the Army, which exercised maximum
restraint to de-escalate the situation, has now moved an artillery
battalion from Mendhar to forward posts in KG sector,” revealed sources.Yesterday, the Pak Rangers had refused to attend a crucial flag meeting at Chakan-da-Bagh trade point.According to sources, the Pakistan Army and the ISI have moved
militants very close to the LoC with an aim to help them cross over to
the Indian side. However, they have not succeeded and were targeting
forward Indian posts in sheer frustration.Heavy firing from across the border created panic among the residents
of Sagra, Balnoi, Gani and Dabraj villages close to the LoC in KG
sector. These villages have a population of over 10,000.